The Nuzlocke Challenge
by Fear The Pika
Summary: Red is receiving his first Pokemon. Again. And Green is doing the same. Setting restrictions on themselves, the two rivals race to beat the Pokemon League before the other, who will win? Based off of the Manga. POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
1. Chapter One: Genesis

Hey guy, Fear The Pika here (obviously...). I've started something call the Nuzlock Challenge on Smogon, and basically it's going through one of the Pokemon games with a ton of restrictions. The ones I did were:

~ If a Pokemon faints, it will be dead, unable for use and shall rot in a box forever.  
~ Healing Items of any kind are disallowed  
~ Only the first pokemon encountered on a route (excluding Legendary Pokemon) is able to be captured and used. I will capture others for the purpose of filling the Pokedex, but those will be released  
~Pokeballs may be bought at any time  
~Running out of Pokemon will cause an instant Game Over  
~Pokemon Centers will be used as little as possible

That being said, I've decided to post the story here since I'm going to change things up a little to make it actually have a plot and not just a boring log of what's happening in the game. Also, this is BASED off of the Pokemon Manga, but an alternate time-line. So here's Chapter One, chapter two is being written as you read this. R&R please, and enjoy.

NOTE: Staying true to the Japanese versions, Green is the male rival and Blue (if she makes an appearance) is the female one. (Not really a rival, but you get what I mean.)

* * *

**Chapter One: Genesis**

My name is Red and I'm just an average sixteen year old kid, and also the best Pokémon trainer in Pallet Town. Or at least, I was until my partner Poli was killed in battle. Everybody says that it wasn't my fault, that Critical Hits happen sometimes without warning, and maybe they're right, but I don't see it like that. So this morning, I decided that I'm going to start my journey to the Pokémon League and beat it, something I had meant to do with Poli by my side.

After I got dressed and stared at the picture of Poli and me that I have right by my computer, I headed outside; dawn was just beginning to paint the grey skies a beautiful pink. I didn't want to be seen by anyone, not even my friend and Rival, Green. Even though we acted like we hate each other, we both know that respect runs deep in both of us, though we disagree with the other's training method sometimes.

I had just made it to the edge of Route 1, planning on heading to Viridian City to buy some Pokéballs, but I was stopped by Green's Grandfather, Professor Oak.

"You can't go out there, Red. You know what Pokémon can do to humans if they're unprotected." he said. Sighing and dragging me by my arm, he led me to his laboratory. "I knew you would do something like this, you're always so reckless. At least let me give you one of my Pokémon. No, I don't want to hear any refusal, I know that it won't replace Poli, but you have to start somewhere."

Resigned to my fate, I walked with the Professor to his lab. His lab was an unimpressive rectangular brown-brick building, larger than anything in Pallet town, but that wasn't saying much. The inside was well organized and extremely high-tech with multiple bookcases brimming with books on Pokémon and their abilities, all written by the Professor Oak himself. There were three assistants towards the front of the building, and computers in the back, as well as a green table with three Pokéballs on top of it.

I was extremely surprised to see Green standing there waiting for us, and I was even more surprised to see him in his pajamas.

"Grandfather, I'm tired of waiting. Well, actually, I'm just tired. Why do we have to be up at such a ridiculously early hour?" he complained, yawning loudly and wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Hold on a second Green, this is an important moment for both of you, both of you have lost your one partner. So before you set out on your journey, I'm giving you a new one."

I stared at my rival for a moment, I had had no idea that he had lost his partner too. When had this happened? And how had it happened? But even as I thought these questions to myself, I knew that I would never find out; Green wouldn't tell anyone. When I realized that the Professor was talking to me, I snapped back to attention, now slightly embarrassed.

"Red, I want you to chose first. You lost your partner before Green did, so you should receive a new one before Green does."

Even though Green started complaining loudly, I knew that it was just for show. After he said his piece, he looked me in the eye and slowly nodded; he too thought that I should receive the first Pokémon.

Taking my time, I hovered over all of the choices: Charmander, Bulbasaur and Squirtle. I could choose Squirtle, a Water type like Poli was, but that seemed wrong to me. Charmander was a strong Fire type, but I dislike using Fire Pokémon since they can get out of control easily and cause a lot of damage.

That left the third Pokémon, the Grass type Bulbasaur. Picking up its Pokéball and releasing it, I knew immediately that Bulbasaur was the one I wanted.

"Hey there, I'm your new trainer, Red. It's nice to meet you, Saur."

My new Pokémon was nervously accepting my touch as I rubbed his head, but not coming nearer. Well, that was to be expected, trust would form over time and I couldn't rush that process.

Sweeping past me, Green quickly chose his Pokémon and called it out. "Charmander!" I knew that he would choose that one, Green was always drawn to the more powerful Pokémon.

Calling Saur back into his Pokéball, I started walking out of the lab, eager to finally start my journey, but Green called me back.

"Hey, it's a new start for both of us, so forget everything you learned about training Pokémon and battling. From now on, we're both first-time trainers, so let's both act like it. Let's also lay some rules down for ourselves, rules that will challenge us as we try to beat each other to Indigo Plateau. No healing your Pokémon with items, no matter how hard it gets. And no being greedy with the wild Pokémon, only catch the first one that appears on a Route. Agreed?"

I nodded agreement, it was a good idea. At least, it seemed like it at the time, but that was me being naïve. Oh, the strife that it would cause me later down the road.

Green grinned, I knew what was coming, and I had been waiting for it. "Now come on, battle me!"

Calling Saur back out, I calmly watched him stare at Green's Charmander. We were about to start the battle when Professor Oak decided to take Green literally and treat us both like we had never battled before. Ignoring him, I ordered Saur to use Tackle.

Hurtling himself at his opponent, Saur met Charmander's claws as it used a Scratch attack, but even that didn't stop the Grass Pokémon from decking his Fire type opponent. And this cycle continued: Tackle, Scratch, Tackle, Scratch. Then Green made a mistake, instantly realizing it once he ordered his Pokémon to use Growl. Now Saur saw an opening, and without any command from me, made the finishing Tackle, slamming the fire lizard into one of the bookcases, narrowly avoiding setting fire to it.

"Nicely played, Red, nicely played. But we'll beat you next time, you know we will."

Scooping up his Pokémon, he carefully carried it out of the building, not wanting it to die; I didn't want that either, so I hoped that he got it healed quickly. Following Green's example, I left the building and headed for Route 1, ready to start my Pokémon Adventures.

* * *

Route 1, a pleasant path with flowers, trees, ledges, Pokémon, and not a trainer in sight! I tried to get through without encountering a Pokémon, remembering my promise to Green, but a wild Pidgey surprised me on the outskirts of Viridian. Quickly pulling out my lone Pokéball, I sent Saur out to deal with bird. After exchanging Tackles a few times, my new partner came out on top with HP to spare. Now at Viridian City, I walked into the city limits, admiring how big the place was compared to my simple hometown.

I headed straight to the Pokémart to pick up a few Pokéballs, I couldn't be without them for long, but I was going to have to run an errand first. Stepping into the store, the clerk immediately recognized me from the reputation that I had gained when Poli was still alive and he called me over.

"You're Red from Pallet Town, right?" he asked. I slowly nodded, not sure where this was going to go; I had made a few enemies of sore losers back in my heyday. "Can you take this to Professor Oak? We have our own shipping system, but we'd rather make other people who live in the same town do it so we don't have to pay shipping and handling costs."

I bristled with rage, how dare he treat me like I was just one of the delivery men that they employed. I opened my mouth to forcefully object to this treatment and ask for the manager, but the clerk was a step ahead of me.

"The manager is in Celadon City for a conference at the main branch and won't be back for a while. That being said, I won't sell you anything until you get this package to the Professor."

Knowing that I was out-maneuvered, I snatched the package and ran out of the store, sprinting through Route 1, too. My progress was delayed when a Pidgey appeared, but Saur took care of it quickly, mastering the Leech Seed technique at the same time.

I paused just before I entered Pallet Town; the quietness calmed me a little. No matter where I went, I would always prefer to be somewhere quiet, and the small town that I grew up in was the only one that I could ever stay in for a long period of time. Sure, it may only have a dozen houses and about forty residents, but it was peaceful and it was pure, you could only get that in a small town or far away from civilization.

My anger subsided, I walked to the lab to deliver the parcel, and then head back to Viridian to chew out that clerk. The Professor was surprised to see me and commented on how Saur had taken to me, and then happily received the package without telling me a thing about what it contained. Green decided to make an appearance just then, saying that he had been called back and he wanted to know why.

"Ah, that's right, receiving that package completely drove it from my mind. Red, Green, I want you two to take these PokéDexes. They're an encyclopedia of Pokémon, but entries will only be completed when you capture a Pokémon. Seeing a Pokémon will add some data too, but capturing is the best way to do it. There are many Pokémon out there, and I want you to do something that I couldn't when I was younger. I want you to complete the PokéDex."

"I'll do it, Grandfather. You don't need to ask Red to do something that I can do alone! Red, I'll make sure to tell my sister NOT to give you a map."

I smiled, that was just like Green. Get me fired up with a comment like that, and then leave a hint that he'd tell Daisy to give me a map if I asked. Having a rival like Green wasn't something that everyone had, so I made sure not to take it for granted, especially with Team Rocket becoming more aggressive lately.

"Well, Red? Are you going to stand around with a stupid grin on your face, or are you going to go beat Green to completing the PokéDex?"

"Ha-ha, don't worry, Professor, I'll beat him."

And with those parting words, I left the lab and, after going over to Green's house to get a map from his sister and resting up at home, headed back towards Viridian City.

* * *

A bell tinkled as I entered the Viridian City Pokémart again, mindful of my last encounter. Not surprisingly, a different clerk looked up at the sound of the door opening, the one who had refused to sell to me would be long gone by now. Asking the clerk for five Pokéballs, I leaned against the counter and waited for him to ring up my purchase, but he seemed to be dying to talk to somebody.

"I heard that trainers from all over Kanto are joining together to fight Team Rocket, are you going to be joining them?"

Not wanting to engage him in conversation, I just grunted. However, slow business can drive people insane unless they have something to do, so this particular clerk wasn't about to let me go without a fight.

"I hear that one Rocket has some kind of special Pokéballs that heal their Pokémon when they're called back. How do you think that that is possible?"

"I don't know, and I really don't care." I said, snatching my own newly-purchased Pokéballs out of the man's hands, throwing down the correct amount of money onto the counter. Running out of the store, I shouted over my shoulder. "Nice talking to you, have a nice day!"

Heading straight towards Route 22, I was eager to at least get a glimpse of the Pokémon League's gates, but I bumped into Green before I got very far.

"Don't bother trying to see the Pokémon League gates, you can't get in without any badges. But hey, while you're here, let's battle!"

Knowing that he wouldn't take no for an answer, I sent out Saur, my only Pokémon. I groaned as Green sent out a Pidgey, that meant that he had at least one more Pokémon than me. This wasn't good, this wasn't good at all. Calling out my first command to my expectant Pokémon, I braced myself for an intense battle.

(**Battle edited out due to long, stallish nature of it. It'll suffice to say that Growl and Leech Seed stalling dominated the entirety of it.**)

"Yep, you still got it, Red. Just remember, beating me now doesn't prove anything, so don't go and get a swelled head."

Stalking off, I looked over Saur, expecting him to be at almost no health. Apparently, Leech Seed and Growl make an excellent combination, making sure that my Pokémon takes minimal damage. I'll have to remember that in the future, especially when things get tougher. Deciding to catch a wild Pokémon while I'm here, I searched around, quickly spotting a Rattata and engaging it in battle. After one Tackle from Saur, its health was extremely low, and it only used Tail Whip on Saur, so I threw a Pokéball. Confident that it would be caught, I watched the ball shake a little, and then finally become motionless. Rattata, soon to be Nicknamed "Ratty", was mine.

I stopped by the Pokémon Center on my way to the Gym to heal Ratty real fast before resuming my journey. I was briefly delayed by a senile old man who thought that he could actually teach me how to catch a Pokémon, despite me telling him that I knew how to, though he gave me a portable TV for later, then I headed for the Viridian City Gym.

I stepped inside and instantly realized that it must have been abandoned a while ago, the only thing that decorated its stark interior was cobwebs and a stone bust of an arrogant looking man. Quickly retreating out of the building, I headed for Route 2, I didn't need Viridian's badge just yet, and I could find its Gym Leader as I collected the other badges. Disappointingly, another Rattata was the first thing that I saw; I was an idiot to make that promise to Green. Sending out Ratty, I called for him to Tackle the other rat until it fainted, but Ratty's health got too low for me to keep him in before the other Rattata fainted. So calling back Ratty, I sent out Saur to finish the battle.

I repeated this process several times until Saur mastered the Vine Whip technique, then I stopped by the Viridian Pokémon Center one more time to heal my Pokémon back to full health. Now with my team refreshed, I breezed through Route 2, avoiding any more wild Pokémon, and then entered the gate into Viridian Forest; dusk was falling as I did so, I'd have to spend the night in the woods.


	2. Chapter Two: Until Death do us Part

So, I said on Smogon that I'd have this up by today, so here it is. Shorter than last time because I'm breaking it into two chapters, it would be too long for just one. And please, submit reviews, you don't know how much they mean to me, good or bad. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Until Death do us Part**

Night had crashed down on Viridian Forest by the time I set up camp at its outskirts. Maybe some would call me stupid for camping out inside of the forest when I could have spent the night in a warm, safe Pokémon Center, and they would be right. I don't know what I was thinking as I had no healing items whatsoever, but camp out I did. I will regret that decision for my entire life.

I started no fire because Saur was still nervous around them- another bad decision- and had just gotten out a "delicious meal" of cold canned beans when I heard some rustling in the bushes. Remembering my promise to Green about only catching the first Pokémon in each area, I told Saur to use Vine Whip to pull the bushes away; the Pokémon that had been hiding there was a rare Pikachu!

Quickly calling Saur back, I sent out Ratty who watched as the wild Pikachu wagged its tail at him. Calling for Ratty to use Tackle, he slammed into the opposing Pokémon at full speed, knocking into a tree. Realizing that its health must've been lowered by a large enough amount by that one attack (critical hit, scared me when it almost fainted there…), I threw a Pokéball at the Pikachu, catching it in one try! Sleep was forgotten, I had just found a rare Pikachu on my first try, I had to use him. Quickly spotting a wild Weedle, I sent out my new Pokémon.

"Come on out, Pika!" I cried joyfully, then realizing my error when Pika almost collapsed once out of his Pokéball. "Shoot, I forgot about that, and I don't have any Potions." I apologized to my newest teammate, who was now glaring at me like I was an idiot, which I was. "Come on back, I don't want to fail running against this bug and have you die."

Then what seemed like a brilliant idea struck me; I would let Ratty battle the bug and let him and Pika both get the experience! So with that thought planted firmly in my mind, I sent out my other rat, only to have disaster strike. Ratty emerged from his ball, only to have the head-spike of the Weedle hit him. I knew instantly that he was Poisoned and felt my heart nearly stop. If I didn't get back to Viridian City soon, Ratty would die. So scooping him up into my arms, I sprinted out of Viridian Forest with my dying Pokémon. I had just started to reach the first houses when I felt the poor purple rodent take his last breath.

I was overcome by hatred then; hatred for death, hatred for my own stupidity, hatred for poison, but most of all, hatred for the Pokémon that was named Weedle. Laying Ratty in a shallow grave, I swore to him that I would never let a Weedle escape me if I saw one, I would kill them all. Stopping by the Pokémon center, I healed my other two Pokémon. I didn't know why the nurse kept staring at me until I realized that I was crying. I have never cried in public before, not before today. But the death of a Pokémon that was cause by me being rash was too much for me to bear without showing some form of emotion.

As I received my Pokémon back, the nurse handed me a towel too, "I know, it hurts. Every time I lose one of them because they're brought in too late, I feel a piece of my heart break."

Nodding my thanks at the nurse, I exited the building. The sky was grey today as dawn started to shed its mantle of light on the world, a fitting color to my mood. The sun was as red and raw looking as my heart was as it started its journey across the sky, but I didn't want to look at it and be reminded of how I felt inside. Instead, I stared at the shadowy trees of Viridian Forest; I would conquer it today without losing another partner or die trying, and that was a very likely possibility.

* * *

"Hey, where are you going? Stay here and battle me!"

I groaned as I sent out my Pokémon against what must have been the sixth trainer in this forest. The day had started out nice enough with the shade keeping the rising heat away, but the canopy had soon become similar to a greenhouse and was now roasting the inside of the forest. And then there were the trainers, oh the trainers. The only trainers that were in here were Bug Catchers, and there wasn't much variety. Even this final one only had a Caterpi, something that I had seen all day.

"Pika, just Thundershock it and get this battle over with."

Pika, just as tired as I was and only slightly stronger than when I caught him, eagerly followed my command, roasting the bug while it only shot silk at him; the battle was over in seconds. I let Pika walk by my side as a reward for doing so well in the intense training that he had gone through, and then disaster struck again. Pika ran ahead and sat on a log to wait for me, but he sat down on a Weedle. Like anyone, Weedles do not appreciate being sat on by others, so this one used Poison Sting on Pika. The attack Poisoned him. I quickly called Pika back and sent out Saur, who finished off the Weedle with ease, and then I ran out of the forest towards Pewter City.

I already knew that Pika wouldn't make it unless I did something, and I also knew that the Poison was slowed as long as Pika was in his Pokéball, so I trained. I stood in a patch of grass and waited for Pokémon to come to me, and sent out Pika when they did. After Pika was in battle, I switched out to Saur, who would then finish the wild Pokémon off. It was in this way that I increased Pika's level high enough for him to survive the Poison until we reached Pewter City. At least, I hoped.

Once again, it was a race against time to get to a Pokémon Center, and this time I wouldn't lose. I couldn't lose. I didn't even get a real look at the city, just a quick scan to find the bright red roof of the building that would deliver salvation to my Pokémon. Thank the person who decided on the roof color for the Pokémon Center, they stood out when a trainer needed it most. I burst through the front door and raced towards the front desk, almost running into a man on a cell-phone. The man shot me a very nasty look, but it was at my back since I was already thrusting Pika at the nurse who was on duty.

"Poison!" I managed to choke out as she took the Pikachu to the emergency room. The nurse shot me a strange look as she took Pika, maybe she had heard about me from the nurse in Viridian City. I guess trainers don't usually come into a Pokémon Center already in tears too often, and it would probably be big news around these parts, but I'm just speculating here. I walked over to the doors of the ER and saw that the light indicating that there was a patient inside was still on, so I sat on the couch right outside of it. Worry gnawed at my heart, I felt sick to my stomach. Was I going to lose another teammate already? I hoped that I wouldn't, losing two Pokémon in two days would be too much for me to handle, especially after what happened with Poli…

I waited here for a couple hours, staring at the wall opposite me. It was a clean wall, white and spotless, but that didn't register to me. The only thing that was going to change in my world was that light above those doors. That light was the only thing that mattered to me right now, that and what happened to Pika. When the light finally winked out, I was gripping the edge of my seat so hard that my knuckles were white, had Pika made it? I sprang up as the nurse came out of the ER, eager and scared to hear what she said.

"He made it, but just barely. You really need to take better care of your Pokémon, buy some Antidotes or something. From what I've heard from Viridian City's Pokémon Center, you just lost a Pokémon yesterday. If you're one of those reckless trainers who doesn't care what happens to your Pokémon, I'm going to make sure that your Trainer's License gets pulled. Do you understand me?"

I knew excuses would just make me look stupid, and I had been careless with my Pokémon, even if I tried hard to get them healed when they got injured, so I just nodded my head and got a room for the night. Tomorrow I would get Pika, then we would battle the Pewter City Gym Leader, and I could only hope that I didn't lose anyone else.


	3. Chapter Three: Don't Nip it in the Bud

OK, finally done part two of my three-part update. I'm only going to have one significant event in each "chapter", so get used to it. I guess I'll be doing more writing soon, but there's something else I have to do first. So expect the next update in about a month. R&R please, and as always, enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Don't Nip it in the Bud**

With Pika and Suar healed, I set out at sunrise. It was a beautiful start to what I hoped to be a beautiful day. The pink sun stained all the clouds the same color, and the rays illuminated them as the came over the mountains that populated Route 2. Not wanting my partners to miss out on the sunrise and the peace that it seemed to bring, I let them out of their Pokéballs to share it with me. After a couple a flashes of light that momentarily blinded me, I saw that Pika and Saur were gazing intently at me and were completely ignoring the sunrise. First off, I addressed Pika.

"Pika, are you okay? I'm really sorry that you got Poisoned. I made a rash decision and struck a deal with Green. This deal entitled that neither of us would use healing items of any kind, no matter what. It was stupid, and I wouldn't blame you if you wanted to go back to the forest. I won't force you to stay here, so you can leave if you want to."

Pika looked like he was considering my offer. I know that if I was him, I would already have left. But apparently, Pika was made of stronger stuff than I was. He jumped onto my shoulder and turned my head towards the Pewter City Gym; apparently he knew the area outside of Viridian Forest as well as he knew the area inside.

"Well then," I said while shouldering my backpack. "Let's go beat Brock then, shall we?"

So with a Pikachu on my shoulder and a Bulbasaur at my feet, I walked the short distance to the Gym where I knew Brock awaited all challenges, mine included.

Even though the walk was short, by the time I entered the Gym it felt like an eternity had passed during the time it took to walk through the automatic sliding glass door. I had recalled my two Pokémon into their Pokéballs at the entrance to the Gym. I didn't want to give my opponents the advantage. It looked like the Gym was wasting a lot of space. There was a long, narrow path that lead to Brock, but the rest of it was sand and rocks. Shaking my head in disgust, I felt my opinion of Brock soar towards rock-bottom; nobody would appreciate that pun except for me, so I will never share it. I couldn't tell Brock what I thought of his Gym, complaining was against the rules, and I knew the rules of the Pokémon League well since I had studied them only a few years ago in preparation for challenging it with Poli.

Just the thought of my former partner brought tears to my eyes, but I soon wiped them away angrily. I would do this with my new partners, and I would do it to honor Poli's memory. I could not lose. So quickly tallying the opponents I would have to face before I got to Brock, I ran towards the first one. But just before I reached him, I skidded to a halt. One? That was it? Where were all the other trainers? Oh well, this would just make it easier.

I walked up to my first and only opponent before Brock, a boy about two years younger than me, dressed in blue shorts and a yellow T-shirt, and met his gaze, even though he seemed determined not to meet mine until I stood right in front of him?

"Is there a problem?" I asked in what I hoped was a voice that simply radiated annoyance. To my great pleasure, it seemed to have the intended effect and the boy stared at his sneakers and mumbled something. "What was that?"

"Brock said that I could only stare straight ahead and only challenge someone if they passed in front of me." He mumbled again, but this time I caught it.

My opinion of Brock hit rock-bottom and still tried to go farther, and it succeeded. I thought about commenting on how stupid this was, but the boy's face was bright red from embarrassment, so I decided to same him further humiliation.

"You're ten-thousand light-years from facing Brock, you should just leave now."

"What?"

"I have to say that to every challenger, please don't say anything about it."

Once again, I shook my head in disgust about what Brock has his apprentices do and I sent out Saur. The boy sent out a Geodude that looked none too happy to see a Grass Type Pokémon as its opponent.

"Saur, use Vine Whip and smash it into the ceiling!"

My Bulbasaur was eager to obey this command and did so with great pleasure. The Geodude was soon wrapped up by Saur's vines and embedded in the ceiling, unable to come down. It was obvious from the look on the boy's face that the damage done to his Pokémon was bad and it would probably have to go to the ER. When the boy sent out his second Pokémon, a Sandshrew that looked even less eager than Geodude now that it had seen what Saur could do, I took pity on it.

"Suar, _gently _use Vine Whip and pick up the Sandshrew." Saur did this, although he looked a little confused. "Now _gently _place it down outside of the battle field."

Saur shot me a look that could kill a smaller Pokémon from a distance, and for a second I thought that he would disobey my order, but he did as he was told and disqualified his opponent without hurting him.

"Darn, light-years isn't distance, it a measure of time!"

But this time I ignored what he was saying and only took in his look of gratitude; I would have some words to say to Brock after our match was over. I had no need to heal my Pokémon before the next battle, my battle with the Gym Leader, so I walked straight up to him.

"Well it's about time that another challenger showed up; I was beginning to think that all young trainers went right to Team Rocket when they were old enough, and sometimes when they weren't. As you probably know, I'm Brock, master of the…" he started to say. His voice was scratchy and rough, almost like he had inhaled smoke every day for years, and it annoyed me to no end. So I cut him off.

"Stow it, Brock. I disapprove of your methods and what you force your apprentices to do. All I want is my battle with you, and then I won't even have to look at you again."

Rather than being annoyed by my disgusted tone and my criticism, Brock just laughed. This just made me even more annoyed than before. Didn't he take my challenge seriously? It was almost like that this was just a game to him.

"And what if you lose, oh ferocious one? If you intend on challenging the Pokémon League, you're going to have to beat me for my badge."

I had no reply for this, but I didn't need one. Grinning like the maniac he must be, Brock sent out his first Pokémon; it was a Geodude.

"Saur, send the Geodude flying into Brock with your Vine Whip!" I called as I sent out my own Pokémon. Saur wasted no time and grabbed onto the opposing Pokémon with Vine Whip. After giving it a few spins, he sent it flying towards Brock, who narrowly avoided losing a body part.

"So that's the way you want to play, huh?" Brock said, apparently mad now. "Now face my ultimate Pokémon. Go, Onix!"

Out came the giant Rock type Pokémon. Onix just looked like a trail of roundish, grey rocks the started at about fist size and progressed to boulder size. Its head was a massive boulder that was mostly mouth with a long, thin protrusion on top.

_ Where does all the food go? It's just solid rock all the way through, isn't it?_

I shook my head to clear it of random thoughts. I needed to concentrate here. Onix was certainly more lethal than a Geodude. And then a brilliant idea struck me like a Thunderbolt from a Pikachu. A way to end the battle without killing another Pokémon and still claim victory for myself, _and_ it wouldn't be too hard for Saur to pull off. Literally.

"Saur, use Vine Whip and dismantle Onix. Leave only its head and the rock right after it alone, pull everything else off."

Suar realized what I wanted to do and quickly put my plan into action, not even leaving Onix time to defend itself, much less attack. In less than a minute, Onix was spread across the arena, and its head was unable to move itself. Brock called back what remained of what used to be a rock snake, recognizing defeat.

"I must say, I'm impressed. I've never seen such skill before." he commented while handing me my prize money and the Boulder Badge. "How would you like to stay here at the Gym and become my number one apprentice?"

"No thanks," I coolly replied. I didn't want anything else to do with Brock, this Gym or any part of Pewter City.

"Here, why don't you take this TM? It's Rock Tomb, and you can only get them at this Gym."

I was shocked. He was actually trying to bribe me to join his Gym? Would the other Gym Leaders attempt stuff like this? Maybe I should quit now and save the other Gym Leaders whatever dignity that they had left. Instead of replying, I took the TM- no point in refusing free stuff, right? - and left the building, Saur happily bouncing after me. Next stop was Mount Moon, and then Cerulean City.


	4. Chapter Four: Flying Fish

Ok, you guys (and girls) got lucky. Guilt overcame me and I didn't do what I had intended on doing. I was going to finish the update up to Cerulean City, but I hadn't done anything with this for so long that I decided to just finish the update up to Mt. Moon and give it to you, even though it's short. Just a little reminder that I haven't died. And yes, my next update will be on either the 16th or the 17th.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Flying Fish**

Beating Brock had taken a meager thirty minutes from my day, and my Pokémon hadn't even been scratched. So after a quick and rather pointless visit to the Pewter City Museum – another scam, people, don't go there-, I headed towards Route Two.

"Wait up! Don't leave yet!"

I was turning around when a young man in a white lab coat and glasses crashed into me and sent both of us skidding onto the ground. As I pulled myself up, I saw that the man was scrabbling around in the dirt, looking for his glasses. As I kneeled down to help him in his search, I noticed a brown-paper package addressed to me lying a few feet in front of the man who I realized must be an aid of Professor Oak's. I crawled forward and grabbed the package, but at the same time the aid laid his hand on his glasses, both of which were under my swiftly falling knee. The effect was instantaneous and painful, more for the aid than for me. The sweet chime of shattering glass was drowned in my cries, as well as those of the aid, as the splintered glass embedded itself into our skin. Fiery pain shot up and down my leg as I stood, and I momentarily felt dizzy, but I had to leave the area. So, limping as fast as I could towards Route 3, I steeled myself for the process of pulling glass out of my leg, and then a long day of battling other trainers.

It was sunset by the time Mt. Moon loomed above me, its peak lost above the charcoal colored clouds. Happy is not a strong enough word to describe my feelings for seeing the red roof of the Pokémon Center that suddenly sprang into view a few yards from the cave entrance. I had just walked through the doors when a sheet of rain cascaded down from the heavens, instantly soaking the trainer who had just emerged from the cave.

I handed my Pokéballs to the Nurse Joy in charge of the center; there was one more than when I had left Pewter City. "Jiggly", the Jigglypuff had "willingly" joined my team. My other Pokémon had grown a few levels on the way and mastered a few new attacks, but still had yet to evolve or face a real challenge.

I was about to rent a room for the night when I was approached by a man who could only be described as "sleazy". Everything about him screamed "used car salesman", from the cheap suit to the oiled back hair. His sunglasses hid his eyes, but I could tell that he was sizing me up for whatever he was selling. As he got closer, I could clearly see his skin was almost as white as a corpse, and I could also see his black hair was sprinkled with dandruff as he took a position almost directly under my nose. And then he spoke; his voice was as slick and greasy as his hair.

"You look like a smart lad, and let me tell you something, there aren't too many smart young people anymore judging by the number who have refused the wonderful deal that I offered them. This same deal I'm now going to offer to you, but only because you seem like an intelligent trainer. For only 500 Poké I'm willing to part with a champion among Pokémon. It will grow into a Pokémon that has a type combination that is only shared by a couple others, and is a huge powerhouse to boot. What do you say, how about it?"

I knew a rip-off when I saw one, and I had heard of deals like this before. Whatever he was selling would be a Pokémon that took so much time to reach its full potential that it wouldn't be worth the trouble. That or it was something that anybody could get if they really wanted to. I was just opening my mouth to decline when the salesman played his trump card.

"And if you don't buy it there's going to be a new sushi vendor around here."

Growling in frustration, I pulled out the required amount of money and dropped it into that man's hand. In return, I got the Pokéball that contained my newly-purchased teammate. The sushi comment didn't help my expectations of what I had just bought, and they sank even lower. I had just paid a ridiculous amount of money for a near-useless stupid Magikarp. With a level of stubbornness equal to a Tauros, I walked out into the rain with the fish under my arm. It was time to see how much damage I could do if I threw it at other Pokémon. It had to level up somehow, right?


End file.
